Mobile Technology Comes to Life for Local Consumers at Mobile World Congress Shanghai

“Experience Halls” at SNIEC Showcase Mobile Across Sports, Lifestyle, Entertainment and Learning; MWC Shanghai Exhibition Open to Consumers through Saturday, 1 July

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Visitors seeking the latest and greatest in mobile technology will get the opportunity to try out the newest devices, gadgets and experiences at the upcoming GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai, taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). This year, to make it even more convenient for citizens from Shanghai and the surrounding area to visit, Mobile World Congress Shanghai has been extended from three to four days. The event will now be open to consumers, including families and children aged six years and older, from Wednesday, 28 June through Saturday, 1 July.

The Mobile World Congress Shanghai “Experience Halls” will cover Halls E1 and E2 at the SNIEC, showcasing mobile devices, immersive experiences and innovative technologies, with a focus on four key themes: sports, lifestyle, entertainment and learning. In addition to participating in interactive demonstrations and activities, visitors to the Experience Halls will have the chance to win prizes and giveaways totaling RMB140,000 in value across the four days.

“We look forward to welcoming consumers from all across Shanghai back to Mobile World Congress Shanghai for our sixth year,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “The event is bigger and better than ever before, showing the impact of mobile in all areas of our lives, such as sports, home and fitness, entertainment, learning and beyond. And now, with our new Saturday opening hours, we’ve made it even easier to visit, for adults and children alike.”

Attendees will have the chance to see first-hand how mobile technology is reinventing the sports experience for both fans and athletes. In the “Sports Tech Zone”, see how the latest sensor technology can track the speed, power and accuracy of swings in sports such as golf and baseball.

A highlight of Mobile World Congress Shanghai will be the Drone Racing Competition, where leading pilots will wear first-person-view (FPV) goggles to steer drones fitted with onboard cameras. Luke Bannister, winner of the 2016 World Drone Prix, and second runner-up, Maciej Poschwald, will take on the best pilots in China, including Hai Lang, winner of the Shanghai Flying Cup of Drone Racing in 2016. Pilots will compete daily in a knockout tournament and the competition will culminate with a ceremony for the top three pilots on Saturday, 1 July. The winning pilots will receive cash prizes and audience members will be eligible to receive daily prize draws, with the combined prizes totaling approximately RMB80,000. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition/experiential-exhibition/drone/.

Event elements will demonstrate how mobile is changing our everyday lives, from home to health and fitness. New for 2017, the “Mixed Reality Home”, presented in partnership with Cognizant, will bring together technologies such as mixed reality (MR), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to offer a futuristic home decoration and design concept. Attendees will be able view an AR apartment floorplan, select their favourite furniture style and colour, change the setting in a home environment using MR, and then view their dream bedroom designs with VR glasses and even virtually order furniture online.

The “Health & Fitness Zone”, with partners FIT China, Kerry Sports and Technogym, will offer four fun-filled days of dance, spinning and fitness classes, as well as talks on health and nutrition. Fitness experts including Ken Weichert (SGT Ken®), the international award-winning presenter, six-time US Army Soldier of the Year, Master Fitness Trainer and Master Resilience Trainer, and popular health and fitness blogger Jessie Jia (Jessie), among others, will lead training classes daily. Tech-savvy sports and health enthusiasts can sign up for trials or classes onsite. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition/experiential-exhibition/health-fitness/.

The Device City, located in Hall E2, is the destination to try out the latest devices and newest features, and get a glimpse of the trends that will shape future devices and gadgets. Leading mobile operators and device makers, including GIONEE, Lephone, Microsoft, OPPO, vivo and others, will be on hand to show off the most in-demand devices. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition/experiential-exhibition/device-city/.

Entertainment: Top Professional All-Female Teams Battle in Mobile Gaming Tournament

Mobile gaming is back at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, with top professional all-female leagues confirmed to compete in the four-day tournament, including popular teams KA Women e-Sports Club, DM King of Glory Women Team and others. On Saturday, 1 July, attendees will get to see the winning team battle star teams Sicca and ShinyRuo from Tencent. In addition to watching the competition, the audience can get involved in the fun. Visitors can win nearly RMB50,000 in prizes, while cosplay characters including Zhao Yun, Li Bai and Xiao Qiao will also mingle with attendees in the gaming area. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition/experiential-exhibition/mobile-gaming/.

Consumers will get to experience AR and VR first-hand in the VR & AR Zone in Hall E1, with interactive demonstrations of the latest products and accessories. Within the VR & AR Zone, HTC Vive will bring together a range of partners and will also host the VIVE Pavilion to demonstrate a variety of life-like virtual reality experiences. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition/experiential-exhibition/vr-ar/.

Learning: Youth Mobile Festival Returns to Shanghai

YoMo – the Youth Mobile Festival – is returning to Shanghai for a second year, with approximately 15,000 young people and families expected to attend. Students will experience exciting educational and learning opportunities, including the latest in robotics, drones, gaming, sports, AR/VR and more. YoMo will also offer many workshops, hands-on activities and interactive exhibits showcasing the power of science, technology, engineering, arts (+ design) and math (STEAM) disciplines.

YoMo will include a hackathon organised by LeapLearner, where children six years and older will learn essential programming skills and apply their new skills to develop a computer game. In the “Fashion in Flux” theatre show running each day, YoMo attendees will get to see how technology continues to revolutionise what we wear. YoMo will bring classroom learning to life in a number of workshops, including:

TokyWatch Workshop – build a smart watch complete with programmable face and timer display, and upload games to play including Nokia’s legendary ‘snake’ game

YoMo will feature interactive activity stands to bring learning to life.IT IS 3D will demonstrate 3D technologies and robotics, teaching visitors about 3D design, scanning and printing, enabling them to make their own 3D designs. Technovision will show young people how, with MIT APP Inventor and open-source software tools and hardware platforms from Arduino, they can create simple apps to solve everyday problems. For more information on YoMo, visit www.mwcyomo.com/sha-en/.

SDGs in Action – Take the Challenge

At Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the GSMA is launching a Chinese version of the popular “SDGs in Action” mobile app, designed to increase awareness of and engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The app includes an integrated augmented reality game where visitors can participate in a challenge to collect SDG “goals” from image targets located throughout the SNIEC from 28 through 30 June. Prizes will be awarded daily to participants randomly selected from a drawing of those collecting three or more goals in the challenge; winners will be notified via the app. The SDGs in Action app is available for download on iOS or Android devices; to enjoy the exclusive content and play the game, visit www.sdgsinaction.com.

Don’t Miss – RMB140,000 in Exciting Prizes and Giveaways

In addition to checking out cutting-edge products, interactive demonstrations and intense competitions across the Experience Halls, visitors will be able to win exciting prizes totaling RMB140,000 in value, such as Apple Watches, HTC Vive VR glasses and more. Attendees can even participate in a treasure hunt through the Experience Halls, with prizes awarded across the four days valued at up to RMB40,000, with the grand prize being given on Saturday, 1 July. Visitors to YoMo also have the chance to join in lucky draws with prizes including tickets to Shanghai Disneyland and overnight stays for four people at the luxurious Naked Retreat resorts in China.

“We encourage consumers to visit across all four days of Mobile World Congress Shanghai, but they will definitely want to be here on Saturday,” continued O’Hara. “Saturday will be a huge day, with competition finals in drone racing and mobile gaming, as well as daily and grand prizes being awarded across a number of areas. You won’t want to miss it!”

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.